NRL amends shoulder charge rule

The NRL has today advised all NRL Clubs of an amendment of the Shoulder Charge offence under NRL Judiciary Procedures, which is effective from this weekend’s Telstra Premiership Round Six.

The amendment clarifies that the Shoulder Charge offence will now include incidents where there is forceful contact from a shoulder charge between any part of the tackling player’s body and the head/ neck of the tackled player or where the shoulder charge results in the forceful movement of, or the impact to, the head or neck. Previously this had been charged under the Dangerous Contact offence.

These amendments also see the continued focus of all NRL Match Officials on the identification of illegal Shoulder Charges within matches.

“The banning of the shoulder charge was an important statement about the Commission’s focus on player safety and a significant rule change,” NRL General Manager of Football Operations Mr Nathan McGuirk said today.

“We continue to monitor the effectiveness of the rules in ensuring that shoulder charges are no longer a part of the game and this change is a part of that process.”

The NRL has today advised all NRL Clubs of an amendment of the Shoulder Charge offence under NRL Judiciary Procedures, which is effective from this weekend’s Telstra Premiership Round Six.

The amendment clarifies that the Shoulder Charge offence will now include incidents where there is forceful contact from a shoulder charge between any part of the tackling player’s body and the head/ neck of the tackled player or where the shoulder charge results in the forceful movement of, or the impact to, the head or neck. Previously this had been charged under the Dangerous Contact offence.

These amendments also see the continued focus of all NRL Match Officials on the identification of illegal Shoulder Charges within matches.

“The banning of the shoulder charge was an important statement about the Commission’s focus on player safety and a significant rule change,” NRL General Manager of Football Operations Mr Nathan McGuirk said today.

“We continue to monitor the effectiveness of the rules in ensuring that shoulder charges are no longer a part of the game and this change is a part of that process.”